Nice story but I can't help but think that they're only honoring it because it's a concussion story and with any other injury, they'd boot him. Colleges have just as much to lose from public concerns about concussions as the NFL, both in new money and new players,

5th concussion at that level, particularly for a lineman, is a sure sign of truly awful coaching. Technique is the easiest way to avoid concussions at that age. It obviously becomes much harder when everyone is a fully grown adult and a physical specimen, but this isn't that situation.

whistleridge:FSU is a top-5 team right now, looking to get back to its 90's glory days. Those scholarships are limited in number. That's a real sacrifice on their part.

I'm not saying they are bad but, what exactly is the reason they are in the top 5? They beat up two D1-AA teams and wake forest. If they don't beat Clemson this week they should be out of the top 25 entirely.

I know this is a problem for many teams (they schedule cupcakes for the first month) but FSU seems to be the most egregious perpetrator this year.

ghall3:whistleridge: FSU is a top-5 team right now, looking to get back to its 90's glory days. Those scholarships are limited in number. That's a real sacrifice on their part.

I'm not saying they are bad but, what exactly is the reason they are in the top 5? They beat up two D1-AA teams and wake forest. If they don't beat Clemson this week they should be out of the top 25 entirely.

I know this is a problem for many teams (they schedule cupcakes for the first month) but FSU seems to be the most egregious perpetrator this year.

Blame the initial coaches poll. They started at 6 I think. Its not like their standing has changed all that much.

Lumpmoose:Nice story but I can't help but think that they're only honoring it because it's a concussion story and with any other injury, they'd boot him. Colleges have just as much to lose from public concerns about concussions as the NFL, both in new money and new players,

I agree that there is something in this for FSU, but it is still a classy move. It could be the concussion thing, or it could be a marketing thing as far as future recruits, as in "See, we take care of our recruits, so signing with us is in your best interest."

VTGremlin:Do you think he's still on athletic scholarship counting against the limit, or did Fisher pull some strings and get him an academic one? Either way, good for FSU.

They could also put him on medical scholarship after he arrives. He would still count against their 25 player annual limit, but he wouldn't count against their 85 total limit. And it's possible they had extra spots from last year available, so if he enrolls in the spring he won't even count against this year's numbers, he'll just take up a spot from somebody who failed to qualify last year.

bhcompy:5th concussion at that level, particularly for a lineman, is a sure sign of truly awful coaching. Technique is the easiest way to avoid concussions at that age. It obviously becomes much harder when everyone is a fully grown adult and a physical specimen, but this isn't that situation.

Not a HS football expert (or even a fan)... but yeah, I gotta agree with this. Beyond the coaches, if this dude was highly ranked... why was he going beyond "all out"... which is how you get concussions. As a linesman they're easy to avoid.

As a QB or RB or reciever, maybe not so much... you can't control a blind-side hit. But as a linesman, you have a ton of control over what does/doesn't hit your friggin' head.

Lumpmoose:Nice story but I can't help but think that they're only honoring it because it's a concussion story and with any other injury, they'd boot him. Colleges have just as much to lose from public concerns about concussions as the NFL, both in new money and new players,

Yep, the positive publicity is worth more than the tuition (which still stays with the University) for a guy who will drop out after a year anyhow.

ghall3:whistleridge: FSU is a top-5 team right now, looking to get back to its 90's glory days. Those scholarships are limited in number. That's a real sacrifice on their part.

I'm not saying they are bad but, what exactly is the reason they are in the top 5? They beat up two D1-AA teams and wake forest. If they don't beat Clemson this week they should be out of the top 25 entirely.

I know this is a problem for many teams (they schedule cupcakes for the first month) but FSU seems to be the most egregious perpetrator this year.

Right now, only four teams look good enough to be above them. And since FSU is going to keep playing an ACC schedule that may be how it'll look for the rest of the season. They get Clemson and Florida at home and their only troubling road game looks to be VT, although they are playing at NC State and Maryland and usually one of those teams can give the Seminoles a few fits (if not beat them).

So, unless they shiat the bed against Clemson look for them to stay in the top ten most of the season.

ghall3:whistleridge: FSU is a top-5 team right now, looking to get back to its 90's glory days. Those scholarships are limited in number. That's a real sacrifice on their part.

I'm not saying they are bad but, what exactly is the reason they are in the top 5? They beat up two D1-AA teams and wake forest. If they don't beat Clemson this week they should be out of the top 25 entirely.

I know this is a problem for many teams (they schedule cupcakes for the first month) but FSU seems to be the most egregious perpetrator this year.

We were supposed to play West Virginia instead of Savannah State. That would've made it a much better schedule, given where they're at right now.

Lumpmoose:Nice story but I can't help but think that they're only honoring it because it's a concussion story and with any other injury, they'd boot him. Colleges have just as much to lose from public concerns about concussions as the NFL, both in new money and new players,

Lumpmoose:Nice story but I can't help but think that they're only honoring it because it's a concussion story and with any other injury, they'd boot him. Colleges have just as much to lose from public concerns about concussions as the NFL, both in new money and new players,

I doubt that's the reason. If I were being cynical, I'd say it's because Jimbo knows it signals to recruits "We'll have your back" and makes kids feel even better about coming here.

As someone else said, it's not the first time FSU's done this. Jimbo's much more of a hard-ass than Bowden was about misbehavior (a good thing mostly, but I still think kicking Greg Reid off was stupid). But if you're a good kid who doesn't cause problems, he'll have your back.

ghall3:whistleridge: FSU is a top-5 team right now, looking to get back to its 90's glory days. Those scholarships are limited in number. That's a real sacrifice on their part.

I'm not saying they are bad but, what exactly is the reason they are in the top 5? They beat up two D1-AA teams and wake forest. If they don't beat Clemson this week they should be out of the top 25 entirely.

I know this is a problem for many teams (they schedule cupcakes for the first month) but FSU seems to be the most egregious perpetrator this year.

So if they shouldn't be top-5, who should?

It's a lot easier to say a team is overrated than it is to point out which teams are underrated.

RickyWilliams'sBong:Lumpmoose: Nice story but I can't help but think that they're only honoring it because it's a concussion story and with any other injury, they'd boot him. Colleges have just as much to lose from public concerns about concussions as the NFL, both in new money and new players,

I doubt that's the reason. If I were being cynical, I'd say it's because Jimbo knows it signals to recruits "We'll have your back" and makes kids feel even better about coming here.

As someone else said, it's not the first time FSU's done this. Jimbo's much more of a hard-ass than Bowden was about misbehavior (a good thing mostly, but I still think kicking Greg Reid off was stupid). But if you're a good kid who doesn't cause problems, he'll have your back.

blindy the pirate: Hearing this makes me proud to be a Seminole fan.

There was the Mullins kid who gave a kidney to his mother and thus could not play, but he stayed on athletic scholarship and was on the sidelines in a jersey for all of the home games. Previous to that there was a punter who only had an offer but was given and kept on scholarship after losing one of his legs during his HS senior year. (under Bowden) Those are the only two I can remember, but older alums remember a couple from back in the sixties under Coach Pete. It's pretty much an established pattern at FSU.

ghall3:whistleridge: FSU is a top-5 team right now, looking to get back to its 90's glory days. Those scholarships are limited in number. That's a real sacrifice on their part.

I'm not saying they are bad but, what exactly is the reason they are in the top 5? They beat up two D1-AA teams and wake forest. If they don't beat Clemson this week they should be out of the top 25 entirely.

I know this is a problem for many teams (they schedule cupcakes for the first month) but FSU seems to be the most egregious perpetrator this year.

Hey, man...I don't make the polls, I just cite em. You have an issue with that, well...that's what TFD is for.

It's cheap publicity. Top high school football athletes typically don't have to care about a thing academically, so odds are that he won't do well academically, and since he won't be a protected football player he'll probably last no more than the first year.

Still, it was good of FSU to honor the scholarship. Now it's all on the guy, and good luck to him.

Back when Greg Schiano coached at Rutgers he did this for Nate Leonard, a recruit whose football career ended with a knee injury his senior year in High School. A couple years later Brian Leonard (Nate's younger brother) enrolled at Rutgers in large part because they stuck with his brother when other colleges lost interest, and was one of the linchpins of the best team in Rutgers history.

Your choice whether to view the whole thing as good karma or more cynically.

Most big programs will do this. Oklahoma is doing the same thing for some kid, to lazy to find the name, who injured himself during the spring badly enough that he can not play at all. They also have a couple of other guys who have injuries that are forcing them to give up football. One is a senior, not a big commitment, but the other I think is a sophomore so it is a bigger commitment for the schools. I don't think the money is coming out of the team funds but from some other sports related fund so they don't count toward the scholarship numbers.

kevinatilusa:Back when Greg Schiano coached at Rutgers he did this for Nate Leonard, a recruit whose football career ended with a knee injury his senior year in High School. A couple years later Brian Leonard (Nate's younger brother) enrolled at Rutgers in large part because they stuck with his brother when other colleges lost interest, and was one of the linchpins of the best team in Rutgers history.

Your choice whether to view the whole thing as good karma or more cynically.

Smart coach. You keep the retard around to pull in the other star athlete sibling.

I'm afraid for what his future holds. Even one concussion is devestating. I can only imagine what five is like at such a young age. The worst part is that the concussions take a long time to develop and show their true nature. It's a longterm development, and just because you feel okay doesn't mean you are okay. He should've quit after three at the most. It's a shame that most people really cannot fathom just how bad concussions are until a former football player or wrestler kills themselves or other people inexplicably. There's a documentary called Head Games which is based on Christopher Nowinski's book that deals with concussions in sports. Seems like it could be great stuff.